I'm definitely going to look for a good BJJ class sometime in future but I really enjoy doing throws, so I'll probably at least continue to practice them if I can. I know that it's not as good to train against a non-resisting opponent but in this case I may not have a choice. We'll see what happens, but I'm not going to risk major shoulder injury. If there's pain during static throws, I may have to stop altogether.

Geez, is your Judo class just super full-on or what? is it not possible to find like minded folks to just do light uchi komi and randori with?

One thing, doing constant practice of static throws can be injurious too, especially if your ukemi isn't good, or the person throwing you "WWE" pile drives you every time. ONe thing that I like alot (some don't) is crash mats...

I'm doing DZR right now LEO, I like it alot, I wish it was more progressive and freer in terms of playing with the material and freeplay stuff, but I have to admit the technical level of the throws is fantastic.

If it's any consolation to you, my friend who i'm learning DZR from also did Judo with me for a bit, and his skill in throws DID play a huge role the times I did randori with him, his years of static throwing translated fairly well (in ways that can be expected of course) to the uchi komi and randori practice. Albeit there were some huge limitations - the biggest being lack of combo throws.

Anyone who thinks that having good throws won't effect resistant training is dead wrong IMO. Not saying by any means that yous shouldn't do the randori, nor that the throws wouldn't be better with the randori (undeniably they would)...just that knowing how to throw in a way that can't be felt is actually a big deal, and there is way more to learning that than Randori.

I'd try out the DZR and see if you like it, I do miss the dynamic stuff for sure, especially the combo throws and setups.

I know some DZR classes roll as well and do occasional randori, the guys I know do.

It's not so much that people are aggressive in randori but that we're not very experienced so we make mistakes. This injury was caused when my opponent tripped up and fell on top of me. This is always a risk but more so with beginners.

Ah ok, I get it. I was lucky enough to get people who were way better than me, shodans and above I think, so they kept me relatively safe, as well as letting me get away with stalling and stuff heh. I remember having one guy do a osoto gari, sasae ashi combo throw so gently that I felt like a feather getting tossed around, was pretty impressed he managed to do something like that with very little impact for me.

I do know the one time I did standing randori with someone my own level my shins were literally black the next day from failed deashi barai attempts heh. Didn't even notice them in class but did after.

Did you have someone watching you? It seems like alot of the time the Judo guys I trained with had a senior supervising.

It's been a while but this week I'm easing back into Judo training. We focussed on practicing breakfalls, Tai-Otoshi and O-Goshi with several grip variants on Monday and today we covered more breakfalls and Tai Sabaki. Today was the first lesson ever where no one did a single throw but I feel like I learned more this lesson than in any other so far. I'm finally beginning to understand how to move with an un-cooperative opponent, something I was never able to do before in Jujitsu. The key for me appears to be to relax and to think of movement in circles and straight lines. Use circular movements to counter straight line attacks and straight line movement to counter circular attacks. This seemed to create a lot of potential openings for Kuzushi. I feel a lot more confident with my positioning now even though I'm still just beginning to move correctly.

Zach, I know this is a bit late but we had a black belt watching the Randori the whole time, accidents happen though especially since we're still relative beginners.

It's good to be back in Judo again, I really missed training.

I'm loving this MA right now, I'm glad I chose Judo over Jujitsu. I like groundwork a lot but throws are exhilarating, I really like catching someone off balance and seeing the opportunity for Kuzushi.

This week we did a lot of ground fighting. I learned how to do an arm bar and a figure four arm lock from the mount and side mount. We also did a lot of uchikomi with the white belts which was really tiring but a lot of fun.

Today we did Tai Sabaki for Ippon Seoinage with one of the black belts from the advanced Judo class. The class was a lot more focussed on getting the right timing for the throw at full speed which still feels awkward for me. I'm reminded just how much of a beginner I am and just how much I still have yet to learn in Judo... It's daunting but at least I have a lot to look forward to.

Yesterday I joined the intermediate Judo class. They really do things differently there.

The classes are much longer and we only spend a small portion of the time training techniques.

Most of the class time is spent on Tai-Sabaki and Randori. Also, I did my first Newaza randori, which was really tricky. I have no idea what positions and transitions are safe. Attacking an opponent in this class is perilous, one wrong movement and you're pinned, in an arm bar or choked. I really need to work on this a lot more.

I'm also learning that it's much more difficult to throw someone who really understands randori. If you move and put yourself off balance even slightly for a split second, your opponent will throw you. Since I need to move in to attack, it seems like a huge risk every time I go for a throw.